Medigram: September 11, 2014

Top Story

MEB takes complaints seriously; physicians should, too
Wisconsin’s physicians provide health care that’s consistently ranked among the best in the nation. This does NOT mean that all physicians are immune from the state’s Medical Examining Board (MEB) taking action against a physician’s license. Read more.

News Briefs

Running with the PAC: Time to pick up the pace
The outcome of the elections this November will impact the legislative environment in Wisconsin—and that’s exactly why now is the time to get involved in the Wisconsin Medical Society’s political programs. Read more.

UW medical students meet with U.S. Rep. Pocan
Six students from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health AMA Medical Student Section met with U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) at his Madison office Sept. 4. Read more.

Council on Health Care Ethics to discuss palliative care, blood donation rules
The Council on Health Care Ethics will discuss palliative care and the Food and Drug Administration’s ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men at its Sept. 19 meeting. Read more.

Council to continue infant mortality discussion, take on 2014 HOD resolutions
The Wisconsin Medical Society’s Council on Health Care Quality and Population Health will discuss the work of the Society’s Infant Mortality Task Force, in addition to a number of 2014 House of Delegates Resolutions at its Sept. 18 meeting. Read more.

ICD-10 testing set for November, March and June
In preparation for the Oct. 1, 2015, ICD-10 compliance date, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has designated three weeks for testing: Nov. 17-21, 2014; March 2-6, 2015, and June 1-5, 2015. Read more.

One week left to save on Symposium 2014 registration
The Wisconsin Medical Society’s Symposium 2014 is Oct. 19-21, and Sept. 18 is the last day to save $100 on registration. Read more.

Wisconsin Operation Immersion 2.0 aims to increase understanding of military life, enable better treatment
Wisconsin Operation Immersion (WOI) 2.0 is a three-day event being held Oct. 21-23 at Fort McCoy in Sparta, Wis., that aims to provide health care professionals and community-based programs with a better understanding of military life. Read more.

2014 PQRS reporting now available through the Wisconsin Collaborative for Health Care Quality
All eligible providers (EPs) are advised to submit clinical quality data to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), in order to avoid a two percent Medicare reimbursement penalty in 2016. Read more.